THE SACRAMENT OF Eucharist

The Sacrament of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church

Jesus said: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever; ...he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and ... abides in me, and I in him"

John 6:51, 54, 56

The Eucharist is the greatest of the sacraments, described by the Church in this way:

The Most Holy Eucharist is the most august sacrament, in which Christ the Lord himself is contained, offered and received, and by which the Church constantly lives and grows. The Eucharistic Sacrifice, the memorial of the death and resurrection of the Lord, in which the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated over the centuries, is the summit and the source of all Christian worship and life; it signifies and effects the unity of the people of God and achieves the building up of the Body of Christ. The other sacraments and all the ecclesiastical works of the apostolate are closely related to the Holy Eucharist and are directed to it

Code of Canon Law, #897

First Communion for Children

Children in public schools who wish to receive their First Holy Communion begin preparation for first communion should be enrolled in the Religious Education program when they begin first grade. Along with preparation to make their first communion, they will also be prepared to make their first confession. First reconciliation is in the late winter of when they are in the second grade, and first communion is in the late spring.

Children attending St. Dominic's Elementary school are prepared as part of their religious formation in school, and make their first reconciliation in the winter of their second grade year, and first Holy Communion later that spring.

"For as often as we eat this bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the death of the Lord. If we proclaim the Lord's death, we proclaim the forgiveness of sins. If, as often as his blood is poured out, it is poured for the forgiveness of sins, I should always receive it, so that it may always forgive my sins. Because I always sin, I should always have a remedy."